GB News is launching a radio station playing exclusively British music. But with a similar station having already collapsed, £142 million in accumulated losses at the broadcaster and questions about what makes an artist British, the new venture has some explaining to do.
The company behind GB News has announced that it will launch GB Music Radio on 2 November 2026, a new digital station promising exclusively British and Northern Irish music. Its slogan, “All British, All Day”, is designed to celebrate the country’s musical heritage. But the concept is far from original, and the broadcaster’s latest expansion comes against a backdrop of substantial financial losses.
All British, All Day
GB Media Ltd, the company behind GB News, has confirmed that its latest venture will broadcast British music around the clock, covering six decades of performers.
According to the official announcement, every track must be performed by an artist from Great Britain or Northern Ireland, or by a band whose membership is predominantly British.
The station’s presenters will include:
- Paul Coyte, hosting the weekday Great British Breakfast programme from 5.30am.
- Rick Houghton, presenting the Great British Drive Home from Liverpool.
- Nana Akua, hosting weekend mornings from 7am.
There will also be hourly news bulletins, traffic updates and a Saturday evening programme featuring six hours of commercial-free music.
The station will be available through DAB+ in selected parts of the UK and nationally through online streaming services.
On the face of it, a station celebrating British music is a perfectly reasonable proposition. Britain has produced some of the world’s most influential performers, from The Beatles and The Rolling Stones to David Bowie, Queen, Adele and Ed Sheeran.
But there is one rather important problem with the suggestion that this is something new.
Haven’t We Heard This Tune Before?
In September 2016, a new national digital station called Union JACK Radio launched with a strikingly similar premise.
It promised to showcase British music spanning six decades, combining classic hits with newer performers.
Listeners could even influence the playlist through an app.
The station had experienced radio executives behind it, including people involved in the creation of Absolute Radio.
The Guardian reported on its launch, which was presented as filling a gap in the market for British music.
Unfortunately, the business did not last.
In February 2022, Union JACK’s three national stations disappeared from DAB broadcasting. The parent company subsequently entered administration, with staff losing their jobs.
As reported by Chortle and RadioToday, the company’s financial difficulties brought an end to its national broadcasting ambitions.
That does not mean GB Music Radio is destined to suffer the same fate. It will have different presenters, ownership and commercial arrangements.
But it does rather undermine the idea that an exclusively British playlist represents an exciting innovation in radio.
Someone has already played this record, and the first attempt did not have a particularly happy ending.
The Freddie Mercury Question
The announcement also prompted a wave of online jokes about which musicians would qualify as sufficiently British.
Freddie Mercury quickly became a particular focus.
Born Farrokh Bulsara in Zanzibar in 1946 to parents of Indian heritage, Mercury later moved to Britain and became the legendary frontman of Queen.
Some social media commenters suggested that his birthplace would make Queen ineligible for the new station.
There is just one problem with that argument.
Freddie Mercury became a British citizen in 1969.
His naturalisation is documented by The National Archives.
Furthermore, Queen’s membership was predominantly British, meaning the band would qualify under the station’s own published criteria regardless.
So there is no reason to believe Bohemian Rhapsody, We Will Rock You or Radio Ga Ga would be excluded.
Indeed, a British music station that could not play Queen would be a rather peculiar institution.
Nevertheless, the discussion raises an interesting broader question.
What Exactly Makes Music British?
British music has never developed in isolation.
Rock and roll drew heavily from American blues and rhythm and blues. Ska and reggae arrived through Caribbean musical traditions. Punk, soul, electronic music, hip-hop and contemporary pop all evolved through cultural exchanges crossing national boundaries.
Some of Britain’s most successful performers have immigrant backgrounds, while others were born abroad before making Britain their home.
Dua Lipa, for example, was born in London to Kosovo Albanian parents. She is among the artists specifically celebrated in GB Media’s own launch announcement.
British music is not defined simply by where someone’s parents were born or which country influenced their musical style.
It is a constantly evolving mixture of people, communities and international influences.
To be fair, GB Media has not announced any policy excluding musicians because of their ethnicity, sexuality or political views.
The published criteria concern the origins of performers and the composition of bands.
But whether those rules can be applied consistently across collaborations, international groups and changing band line-ups remains to be seen.
Perhaps the most sensible approach would be to celebrate the music rather than become too preoccupied with the passports.
Meanwhile, There Is the Small Matter of £142 Million
The timing of GB Media’s expansion is particularly interesting when viewed alongside the financial performance of GB News.
According to an October 2026 Press Gazette report, accumulated losses since the broadcaster’s launch in 2021 have reached approximately £142 million.
Those losses have continued despite recent improvements in revenue and a reduction in annual losses.
The broadcaster’s owners, including Sir Paul Marshall and Legatum, have continued to support the venture financially.
Launching a new radio station could potentially provide GB Media with a broader audience and new advertising opportunities.
Indeed, chief revenue officer Ross Sergeant has explicitly promoted the station’s attraction to advertisers.
That raises an obvious commercial question.
Could a mainstream music station, built around familiar British hits rather than politically charged discussions, offer advertisers a more accessible route into the GB Media business?
It is a reasonable possibility, although there is no evidence that attracting advertisers uncomfortable with GB News is the stated motivation.
The company describes the launch as part of a wider expansion into new formats.
Whether those new formats will produce meaningful profits remains an entirely separate matter.
A Good Idea Is Not Necessarily a Good Business
There is nothing inherently wrong with a radio station dedicated to British music.
A listener who enjoys The Beatles, Pet Shop Boys, Queen, The Who, Duran Duran and Adele may well find the format appealing.
And GB Media’s presenters bring genuine broadcasting experience to the project.
But the commercial radio industry is fiercely competitive. Listeners already have access to established stations, streaming platforms and virtually unlimited personalised playlists.
Simply promising British music is not enough to guarantee an audience.
Union JACK demonstrated that there is a market for the concept, but also that serving that market successfully is far from straightforward.
GB Music Radio will need to establish a distinct identity, attract loyal listeners and generate sufficient revenue to justify its existence.
Those are much harder tasks than deciding whether Freddie Mercury qualifies as British.
The Verdict: A Familiar Song With a New Label
GB Media is perfectly entitled to launch a radio station celebrating Britain’s musical achievements.
But the country’s greatest musical legacy is not some narrowly defined national purity.
It is the extraordinary ability of British musicians, including those with roots around the world, to absorb influences, reinvent genres and create music that travels far beyond Britain’s borders.
That is a story worth celebrating.
Whether GB Music Radio succeeds will ultimately depend on what comes out of the speakers, not the patriotic language surrounding its launch.
And with its owners already having committed substantial sums to GB News, this is one venture that will need more than a catchy chorus.
The station launches on 2 November. We will be listening.
Sources
- GB Media Ltd: official GB Music Radio launch announcement
- RadioToday: GB Media to launch British music radio station
- The Guardian: Union JACK launches in 2016
- Chortle: Union JACK Radio collapses
- RadioToday: Union JACK disappears from DAB
- The National Archives: Freddie Mercury’s naturalisation certificate
- Press Gazette: GB News accumulated losses
